Tick Tick…Boom!
Teresa Castracane/Kennedy Center
What are we willing to do for the things we love? At what point should we compromise our dreams for reality? How do we live a life that means something? On what would have been Jonathan Larson’s (Rent) 64th birthday, Tick Tick … BOOM at the Kennedy Center closed out its 11-performance run. By showcasing his ability to convey a soul-piercing message through his rock-infused score, Larson poses questions about life, love, and art. Tick Tick … Boom attempts to answer the impossible question Jon wrestled with his whole life: How does one turn one’s own life into a work of art? Under the direction of Neil Patrick Harris (Tony Award Winner, Hedwig and the Angry Inch) this production soars as high as it can given its limited source material.
the show soars with Jonathan Larson’s spirit.
The semi-autobiographical show depicts Jon (Brandon Uranowitz) in the week leading up to his 30th birthday, which kismetly is the same week this production is running at the Kennedy Center. An aspiring musical theater composer in New York City, Jon has yet to taste even a morsel of success. He sees his friends, Michael (Grey Henson) and Susan (Denée Benton), formerly artists themselves, give up on their dreams and move on to more “stable” corporate careers. With his 30th birthday looming, Jon is suffocated by this nagging tick tick running through his mind like an expiring bomb. By writing biographically, Larson gives audiences a peek into the souls of artists, never feeling like they are living up to their potential, afraid that time will run out before they can execute what they were meant to do on this planet. As a young composer/writer, Larson clearly had issues writing a cohesive book, but his ability to convey themes like this despite that hurdle indicates what he would have been able to give to the theater had his life turned out differently.
Jonathan Larson (Book and Music) originally wrote Tick Tick … Boom as a solo work, not intended to become a fully staged musical. This “rock monologue”, performed by Larson alone with a piano in several iterations in the early 90s, was not adapted to a full-length musical until after Larson’s death. Larson’s most popular work, Rent was his first taste of success, the production was set to open off-broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop in 1996. But Larson never got to experience its success or the success of any of his works. The night before Rent opened at New York Theatre Workshop, Larson tragically passed away. Rent went on to Broadway and Larson won a posthumous Tony Award for his work, but he never got to see his dreams realized. Perhaps knowledge of events of Larson’s life and death following the period depicted in Tick Tick … Boom gives the message more poignancy than even he intended.
Teresa Castracane/Kennedy Center
The book struggles to find a cohesive throughline between scenes. Between beautifully written, emotive songs lies a plot that leaves crater-sized gaps for the audience to fill with their imagination. The connection between many of the songs in the middle of the show feels insanely disjointed. It is crystal clear that the songs, not the book, are the heart of the show which makes it difficult to find a tone that stays true throughout. However, Larson is not to blame as he never intended a staged musical. Larson was a green, young writer when Tick Tick Boom was created, had he been given more time, his later shows would have ameliorated these issues. Larson’s strength was in thematic development, perhaps why the show has stuck with so many for so long despite its structural challenges.
This Kennedy Center Production gains four ensemble members (Kennedy Caughell, Kelvin Moon Loh, Yael “Yaya” Reich, & Nikhil Saboo) to what was formerly a three-person cast, creating further depth in side-character portrayals and bustling harmonies. Director Harris’ choice to heavily rely on screens for a set works to an extent but failed to give the nostalgic 90s feel intended. Their use to give the audience certain context, like flashing the Seurat painting at the end of “Sunday” to indicate its parody of “Sunday in the Park with George” felt obvious for those who understand and confusing for those that didn’t. In contrast, the staging followed the theme wonderfully, showcasing Jon’s erratic feelings of time passing him by.
Teresa Castracane/Kennedy Center
Uranowitz, Benton, and Henson have understandably little chemistry in their portrayals of Jon, Susan, and Michael as the show was put up in a week. While all gave superbly crafted solo performances, the trio felt a bit disjointed from one another on stage. Benton steals the show with her belty performance of Come to Your Senses, filled with the emotion the book neglects to address. Although unsure of why the song is being sung, the audience couldn’t help but give Benton rapturous applause. Outside of this, Benton is not given much material and her character Susan (Jon’s Girlfriend) is largely one-dimensional. Henson, as Jon’s best friend Michael portrays everything Jon doesn’t want to be, a corporate sell out. Henson, while vocally stunning, portrayed Michael in a comedic tone, wasting the chance to show he has dramatic chops. Uranowitz in his portrayal of Jon hit the nail on the head in showcasing panic, the emotion shown in Why, the emotional pinnacle of the show perfectly portrayed an artist spiraling. Given the limited opportunities to develop their characters, the performances were wonderful.
Despite its many challenges, Tick Tick Boom leaves audiences looking internally and wondering if they are truly doing what they love with their lives. While the stage show could take notes from the movie version in extending its plot, nonetheless, the show soars with Jonathan Larson’s spirit. It may be best, however, to leave this work of Larson’s as he intended it.
By Aidan O’Connor
